Falwell flaws

In a letter to the editor by Matthew McConnell on May 20 wherein he praises the Rev. Jerry Falwell's integrity and calls him the "greatest Christian leader" since Martin Luther King Jr., McConnell exhibits the single-minded tunnel vision of many among the Moral Majority followers. As long as one fights abortion laws, his ethical and moral credentials are secure.

If I were the reverend, I would be prepared for a disappointment at the pearly gates because God's faith requires that you may hate the sin, but you must love the sinner. How about Falwell's belief that AIDS is God's punishment for homosexuals and that the ACLU, lesbians, gays and abortionists were the cause of the 9/11 attack? Many people consider him to be hateful, prejudiced and lacking compassion.

Mr. McConnell praises Falwell's fairness toward Israel, however this motive is not from a sense of justice and fairness, but because the religious conservatives believe that their long-awaited "Rapture," as foretold in the Bible, shall not occur until Israel is secure. This man certainly did not have integrity but used his pulpit to spew hatred. What is the difference between Rev. Falwell and the Islamic fundamentalists who vow hatred and death to any people whose beliefs are different?

I don't know what his point is, but I will say that it has opened my eyes to the unusual concentration of deviants, bigots, and theophobes there are in the Lawrence area. I knew there were a few kooks out there, but Rev. Falwell's untimely death brought them out in force. Good thing most them are too stoned to vote on election day.

Thanks, right-"thinker". That pretty much confirmed it. I had it narrowed down to three responses from you:

"That. That was my point". Your standard, over-generalized response that evades the question, lest you be ridiculed (as usual) for your standard, far-right, holy-roller conservative, neo-fascist ramblings that you post on here.

Some sort of more "specific" (with lots of over-generalized emotion-based "statements" response about how gays and atheists are inferior/flawed/enemies of our great nation.

"You guys are great! I love this forum!" Translation: You are backed into a corner and can not continue your usual diatribes due to a total lack of factual support of your argument, so you resort to a lame attempt at sarcasm. The obvious parallel is the spoiled child who doesn't get the attention that he/she wants, grabs his/her toys and runs home.

Oh, and RonaldWilson? We didn't need Jerry Falwell's death to bring out the deviants. He was very much alive when Ted Haggard made the news a few months ago.

"What is the difference between Rev. Falwell and the Islamic fundamentalists who vow hatred and death to any people whose beliefs are different?"

Excellent question."

excellent question? is there anything in that head of yours temperance but partisanship or the intelligence and blind hatred of a half-assembled robot?

Anyhoo,

Mr Hassur, let me think on this singularly unthoughtful question... oh, I know...Falwell or his gang has yet to fly a plane load of innocent passengers into an abortion clinic and kill another 3000 innocent bystanders!

didn't realize that was such a brain teaser Richard! now go stand in the corner with that conical hat on until further notice.

you folks ne'er cease to amaze me at the levels you will stoop in attempting to draw a moral equivalence just to hide your own intolerance and bigotry.

rt, to point out the obvious, one need not be gay or an atheist in order to dislike what Jerry Falwell stood for. Trying to imagine the private sex lives of anonymous on-line posters, however, is a sure sign of a sexual pervert. Despite your professions to be hetrosexual, you write more about homosexuals than anyone around here. It is likely just a coincidence, but this reminds me of that Haggard fellow.

Reverend Falwell spewed forth hatred not only against homosexuals, but also blacks. In his early years he was a supporter of segregation. I saw nowhere in Rev. Falwell's actions the second of the two great commandments, to love thy neighbor as thyself. Don't see it in most of the right wingers. They seem to be too interested in brow beating the world to their beliefs.

Falwell spoke out against homosexuality when it was convenient. He also supported gay rights when it was convenient. He delivered the evangelical Christians over to the evil forces for globalization. If you think that's a good thing then Falwell's your man. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

A more Patriotic mode? OK. Right wingers! Keep on talkin' Left wingers! Keep on talkin'. Dissent, discourse and conversation are the most patriotic thing that you all can do. Don't believe in god? Great! Worried about my soul? Thanks! Love and miss Falwell? My sympathies. Hate him and glad he is gone? My sympathies. Afraid of homosexuals? OK, Bi Curious? Make a decision! Think that sin causes god to act against a nation? Well, that seems more like an opprotunity to make an excuses about something...But OK! Think that sin is fun? It is!

"Reverend Falwell spewed forth hatred not only against homosexuals, but also blacks. In his early years he was a supporter of segregation."

I don't know if that is true, but he was never elected Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan like the esteemed (?) Senator Robert Byrd. Of course, he gets a pass because his politics are acceptable, right? If Rev. Falwell was pro-choice, you would have never mentioned his checkered past.

What!? Byrd was in the Klan? No way... I heard that Jesse Helms was a racist who hid a black daughter. Bush was a cokehead alcoholic who found him some Jesus. Clinton was (is?) a womanizing liberal who found middle ground with Newt...who slept around on his wife an divorced her while she was in the hospital...What's yer point?

So No, Byrd does not get a pass, he has to answer to the voters for his missteps.

Falwell was not elected to the U.S. Senate, he is a preacher...both slimy to be sure, but Preachers are not elected by secret ballot again and again and again...

Richard, in Galatians 6 it says that God is not mocked and whatever a man sows that he shall also reap. You can't sow sin, which has the wages of death, and expect to reap a life of pleasure and eternal bliss.

Don't want to get into a discussion about right, left, gays, KKK, etc. I just thinks hitting the Bible with your fist and shouting at people isn't the way to spread God's love. I listened to Falwell once and turned him off about 10 minutes into his rampage. When anyone, religious or political, becomes a "fanatic", my inner alarms go off and I avoid them like the plague.

If Falwells death were to confirm only one thing for me, it would be my guess that many on this forum are gay and/or athiest.

I've never seen people so enraptured by one mans deathone man who was against homosexuality.

For heavens sake!"

Hard to believe I know, but one must not be gay to defend what one sees as basic human rights, nor must one be an atheist to defend the position that religion has very little place in the public discourse of a government that is supposed to represent the separation of church and state. Some people actually care about other people's rights, needs and feelings even when we aren't directly affected.....

What I'd give to have a video of Falwell's arrival at the gate with the archangel, hand on his hip, angelic couture by Versace, waving his index finger up in the Reverend's face, and saying in his animated, sing-song voice (perhaps a slight Puerto Rican accent? French?): "Uh-uh, you ain't comin in here! Back to the other place with the naughty boyz!"